Plants

Even before water reaches them, the sound of droplets triggers germination in rice plants

An analysis of ancient grape seed DNA reveals the earliest known instance of humans in France purposefully cloning plants—including for pinot noir grapes

Evolutionary studies make sense of the world’s strangest plant

Thunderstorms can generate weak electrical discharges on the plants underneath, but until now, they had never been observed in nature

Roses are red—but their ancestors looked rather different

Christmas trees—and conifers in general—have made some surprising cameos throughout U.S. history, author Trent Preszler reveals in his book Evergreen

New research on strange cycad plants offers a glimpse into the prehistoric origins of pollination

If you want to know where the best leaf peeping will be this year, climate science and weather can provide the answer

About nine million years ago, a hybridization involving the lineage of another farmers market star gave rise to the modern-day cultivated potato

Humid heat is blanketing the eastern U.S. this week, exacerbated by “corn sweat” in the Midwest

New evidence shows plant leaves absorb airborne microplastics, a previously overlooked route for the particles to enter crops that has implications for ecology and human health

One species of tropical tree seems not only to survive lightning strikes but also to thrive because of them